How Do you Love God Where You Are?

One of the things that is being spoken over my life in this current season is love. To love God, and to let God love me. It’s a scary thing to be seen like that. To allow God to love me in a way that no one else can because he is the only one who truly knows me. And to love God wherever I am.

He sees me in ways that no one else does. And in order to hear God speak his love over me, I have to spend time with him. Just like we spend time with friends to get to know them better, diving deep with God allows us to understand him in an intimate way.

Having grown up in the church, one of the things I hear over and over again is to make sure that I have a daily quiet time. To carve out space for God in my day. And that was easy in high school. In college. Through the early days of marriage. Up until I had a kid.

Then, all bets were off. Routines were different every day.

I’ve tried all the different tools for studying the Bible and making “quiet times” stick. I’ve done devotionals, gone through a One-Year Bible, done Bible studies, listened to podcasts, sat with my journal and Bible alone. I think I’ve done it all. And still, it’s hard.

What I’ve learned is this:

There is grace.

God wants to meet with us. And yes, I think we often should take those times with God more seriously. Making “appointments” with him like we do our doctors is a great idea. But we have to also want it and crave it. Ask him for a stronger desire to meet with him daily. When we ask him for the things that he wants (like time with us!), he will give it to us.

Have You Tried it All Too?

For a season, I got up early and fit my time with God in before everyone in the house awoke. Now that my 2 year old can open doors, hiding peacefully goes out the window the moment the coffee pot beeps. (Seriously, someone needs to invent a quiet coffee pot!)

I’m one who needs a plan. An idea of where I’m headed so that I know when I’ve finished. I like working towards and ending. And yet, every time I start a devotional or a Bible study or some sort of reading plan, I end up failing. I forget to finish. And I distract easily.

I recently got a chance to start reading Sophie Hudson’s new journaling devotional All in All. This is the first devotional I’ve been drawn back to day after day. Even if I miss a day or two, I am drawn right back towards this devotional.

All in All Journaling Devotional

I’ve felt a strange amount of freedom in working through this devotional. The “lessons” are short. They pair a personal story, with scripture reading and a few questions. My favorite days have ended with writing out a scripture over the lesson before turning towards prayer.

With the amount of women bloggers I had seen posting about this devotional, I assumed it was written for women. And while I am still gleaning wisdom from these pages, I would say this devotional is written for older teen girls or college students. Much of what Hudson writes about speaks towards life in those years full of uncertainty.

Despite not being the specific demographic, I have enjoyed seeing scripture in this new way. I’ve answered questions that at first didn’t seem to apply towards the passage. Until I started to ponder, and upon reflection I saw the connection and saw many things about my life and thought patterns in new ways.

This is one devotional that I see myself working towards finishing.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. This review is my own, honest opinion.